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Why U.S. Wood Can—and Should—Power Europe

A forest owner (and Rolling Stones keyboardist) on the benefits of 'biomass' sales.

By

Chuck Leavell

June 9, 2013 6:50 p.m. ET

In the past two weeks, news reports have covered European Union rules mandating that 20% of energy in EU countries by 2020 must come from "renewable" sources. To meet the requirement, European utilities are increasingly turning toward burning wood instead of coal—with much of the wood coming from the United States in the form of pellets.

Some environmentalists complain that cutting down trees is hardly a "green" solution, while utility-company officials have defended the practice of using woody biomass...